Amazon Prime vs Netflix

[MikeD]

I just bought a new computer in parts form. Some parts from Newegg and some from Amazon. I took advantage of the free 30 day trial offer of Amazon Prime to get the free two day shipping and bonus movie streaming.

I tried out the free movies feature. I have a DVD player that cooperates with Amazon so I can watch the free movies on that.

Amazon claims that they have 41K titles in their streaming library. Netflix claims 12K. I had to call Netflix and ask. They hide it.

So for Netflix streaming I'm paying $95.88 per year. For Amazon, should I keep it and cancel Netflix, I'd pay $79.00 per year, get more choices in titles, and get free two day shipping (which I'd use a real lot as I literally buy everything except most of my food online)?

Is there something I am missing? It seems to be so much of a better deal for Amazon Prime that there must be some defect that I am missing out on.

I would prefer to keep the discussion between Netflix and Amazon for now.

Thanks,
Mike D.

 

[imoldernu]

Netflix, Weinstein Co To "Reinvent" Pay-TV Experience With New Multi-Year Pact - Deadline.com

Current news leaks say Netflix planning for 5X increase. No commitment on Netflix.

try this:About - from instantwatcher.com
Despite the big Hulu ad at the top of the page, Instant Watcher is for Netflix... an easy way to find out about the selections available. It offers more info than than Netflix itself.

Hulu Plus is not Ad Free, as is Netflix.
http://www.hulu.com/support/article/20356372

Today on CNBC:
http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000192746&play=1

My Opinion Only

 

[RunningBum]

I've had Netflix, I have Amazon prime now. I'd make a list of movies and TV shows you like, and see how they really stack up. Amazon may have more, but I don't find their selection quality as good. It is good enough for me because I also like Prime shipping plus the free Kindle book every month, but for the last time I really compared them, I'd have gone with Netflix for video alone.

Also see if you are happy with how to access your watchlist on your DVD player. I can't on my TV, so I have to search for everything. Netflix was a lot nicer because of it's queue that I could prioritize on my laptop and see in that order on the screen. Netflix wins on this one, but from what I understand some devices interact better with Amazon than others.

Netflix is also nicer in that you can stop it for awhile if you'll be gone or don't want it during summer or whatever. Not sure if they prorate months or if you get hit for the full month you start, and maybe they don't even do this anymore, but they did. I'm pretty sure with Amazon you have it for the full year.

You could always do Amazon for a year and switch to Netflix if there are titles only found there that you like. With the service already built into your DVD player there is no equipment to buy, assuming it also plays with Netflix.

 

[Arifriekinel]

I have both, but I seem to end up on Netflix a bit more for streaming. Even ignoring Amazon's streaming though, I buy from Amazon regularly, and I save more in shipping costs than the yearly costs of Amazon and Netflix combined. It's a very worthwhile service.

Amazon seems to have big named movies more often and earlier than Netflix, but Netflix has a larger selection of prime time TV shows.

 

[easysurfer]

Does Netflix offer 2 day shipping of packages?

I only have Amazon Prime for videos so can't compare the two on that point.

 

[GrayHare]

Everything you find on Netflix is no extra cost. With Amazon, free and pay-extra content is mixed together in listings, forcing you to sort through to find the titles you've already paid for.

With Amazon Prime, your order may be shipped via different (substandard) carriers. Too many lost packages, noisy deliveries at odd hours of the night, and boxes left in the rain for my preferences. It's not possible to sign up for streaming alone, that is, keep normal delivery, which for orders over $25 is free anyhow if you allow a possible few extra days for delivery.

Once you sign up for Amazon Prime, their regular shopping site works differently, and is buggy.

 

[ER Eddie]

I had both for a while but ended up using Netflix 90% of the time. I just preferred their selection.

 

[Arifriekinel]

With Amazon Prime, your order may be shipped via different (substandard) carriers. Too many lost packages, noisy deliveries at odd hours of the night, and boxes left in the rain for my preferences. It's not possible to sign up for streaming alone, that is, keep normal delivery, which for orders over $25 is free anyhow if you allow a possible few extra days for delivery.

Once you sign up for Amazon Prime, their regular shopping site works differently, and is buggy.

I haven't had any single one of those issues over the years, possibly because I live in a major city? That sucks!

 

[daylatedollarshort]

We have both Prime and Netflix. I usually just watch Netflix. The kids have their own TV and I noticed they usually just watch Netflix, too.

I pay for two DVDs by mail with Netflix to get some of the newer releases and special interest DVDs. It is pretty cheap entertainment on a cost per hour basis.

 

[bhoferp]

My DH recently did the one month trial with Amazon Prime, but cancelled before the month was up. We always get an order up to $25 for free shipping from Amazon and are not interested in the free book monthly. DH really prefers Netflix.

 

[Greg V]

We have both and enjoy both. There are enough differences in content that the cost/benefit ratio is pretty good. We'll see if that remains true as time goes on.

 

[RunningBum]

Originally Posted by GrayHare
With Amazon Prime, your order may be shipped via different (substandard) carriers. Too many lost packages, noisy deliveries at odd hours of the night, and boxes left in the rain for my preferences. It's not possible to sign up for streaming alone, that is, keep normal delivery, which for orders over $25 is free anyhow if you allow a possible few extra days for delivery.

Once you sign up for Amazon Prime, their regular shopping site works differently, and is buggy.

I haven't had any single one of those issues over the years, possibly because I live in a major city? That sucks!

And I'm in rural Appalachia, and haven't had a single one of those issues either! It's true that orders over $25 come free (eventually) anyway, but 2 day shipping starts to get really nice once you've had it.

 

[meierlde]

Everything you find on Netflix is no extra cost. With Amazon, free and pay-extra content is mixed together in listings, forcing you to sort through to find the titles you've already paid for.

With Amazon Prime, your order may be shipped via different (substandard) carriers. Too many lost packages, noisy deliveries at odd hours of the night, and boxes left in the rain for my preferences. It's not possible to sign up for streaming alone, that is, keep normal delivery, which for orders over $25 is free anyhow if you allow a possible few extra days for delivery.

Once you sign up for Amazon Prime, their regular shopping site works differently, and is buggy.

My observations with Prime are different, its UPS or Fed Ex. Now if you happen to be in a town with an Amazon distribution center it might be different.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

With Amazon Prime, your order may be shipped via different (substandard) carriers. Too many lost packages, noisy deliveries at odd hours of the night, and boxes left in the rain for my preferences. It's not possible to sign up for streaming alone, that is, keep normal delivery, which for orders over $25 is free anyhow if you allow a possible few extra days for delivery.

Once you sign up for Amazon Prime, their regular shopping site works differently, and is buggy.

I have not had any issues with Prime being buggy, nor with misplaced deliveries. We get packages from Amazon pretty much weekly and offhand can't recall a single issue. Sorry to hear you have had such bad experiences.

 

[bUU]

We have both and enjoy both. There are enough differences in content

And I believe that's the long-term trend: The various streaming services are going to start trying to differentiate on the basis of exclusivity deals, so you'll need three or four services in order to have access to all the content being made available, just like you need access to a number of television stations to access all the content. In the long-run, it probably will not end up with streaming being superior in price to cable/satellite packages, for access to first-run television dramas and comedies.

 

[jollystomper]

We have Netflix but decided to add Amazon Prime and see how things go for the next year. We saved about a third of the Prime yearly cost during the 30 day trial so we figured we were ahead so far. We can easily find an additional $7 in savings somewhere else in our budget to cover the cost, if needed.

 

[Sesq]

If you like to watch tv shows, this link is awesome. I did an excel dump and then scanned through it ticking the ones amazon had (97 of 169) that interested me. (see the checkboxes in refine search on the right near the top).

IMDb: Every Netflix TV Series Sorted by IMDB Ranking - a list by Pacey7

We use prime for shipping. I have a 3 month coupon to Netflix from the Chromecast I bought, but we have not activated it yet. NF definitely has a better selection, but there is lots on prime (and cable) too.

 

[JOHNNIE36]

I'm wondering if anyone can shed some light on this story I heard on the local news. I heard mention of Netflix getting together with the NFL to stream games starting this fall. I only caught the last half so I don't have any details. May be something in the paper tomorrow. I know that last fall my grandson (ultimate computer geek) told me how to stream games that were blacked out. Sure enough it worked but the video feed was generally bad. I picked up those games, generally the Tampa Bay Buccs, through Googling P2P4U or First Row Sports. I'm not sure how this is done and maybe it's not legal but if Netflix would come on board, the feed would certainly be better. Clue me in!

 

[scrinch]

Netflix, Weinstein Co To "Reinvent" Pay-TV Experience With New Multi-Year Pact - Deadline.com

Current news leaks say Netflix planning for 5X increase. No commitment on Netflix.

try this:About - from instantwatcher.com
Despite the big Hulu ad at the top of the page, Instant Watcher is for Netflix... an easy way to find out about the selections available. It offers more info than than Netflix itself.

Hulu Plus is not Ad Free, as is Netflix.
Why Are There Ads in Hulu Plus? | Support | Hulu

Today on CNBC:
What's fueling Netflix? - CNBC

My Opinion Only

imoldernu, you sure seem to be up on all this new video-streaming technology stuff!

 

[Ready]

I have had Amazon Prime for several years and have never had a problem with shipping. In fact, I'm continuously amazed at how fast things get to my house. The last time I ordered an item on Sunday night and had it by 3pm on Monday, even though I only asked for the "free" two day shipping.

As for the videos, I've looked through the list in the past and found that while they do have quite a few free ones, the majority of videos they offer are not free. I believe with Netflix once you subscribe anything they have online is included in the price.

Amazon does give you one free book a month, but again from a fairly limited selection of books, and only if you have a true Kindle (not Kindle software on an iPad or Android device). Since I use my iPad to read, I don't get to take advantage of this.

 

[Sesq]

I'm wondering if anyone can shed some light on this story I heard on the local news. I heard mention of Netflix getting together with the NFL to stream games starting this fall. I only caught the last half so I don't have any details. May be something in the paper tomorrow. I know that last fall my grandson (ultimate computer geek) told me how to stream games that were blacked out. Sure enough it worked but the video feed was generally bad. I picked up those games, generally the Tampa Bay Buccs, through Googling P2P4U or First Row Sports. I'm not sure how this is done and maybe it's not legal but if Netflix would come on board, the feed would certainly be better. Clue me in!

Don't think netflix is coming this season, but act fast on this, the hot deal.

Pre-Order Madden NFL 25th Anniversary Edition get FREE NFL Sunday Ticket! | Walmart Coupons and Price Match Deals

Make sure you get the right edition. Then, resell the game minus the code on the aftermarket (or keep it if you like madden).

 

[gardenfun]

I have both Netflix and Amazon Prime. I have been too lazy to try to figure out which one really has more of the stuff I like to watch (mostly British series). But that's a good idea to make the comparison!

I definitely make use of Prime's free delivery, so the question would be: is there content on Netflix that's not on Amazon that I can't live without?

Today's happy discovery: Hulu has all the old Inspector Morse episodes!
Netflix only has them on DVD (not streaming), and they're not free on Amazon.
I don't mind the commercials on Hulu...

 

[pb4uski]

...And I'm in rural Appalachia, and haven't had a single one of those issues either! It's true that orders over $25 come free (eventually) anyway, but 2 day shipping starts to get really nice once you've had it.

+1 and we are in a very rural area as well.

 

[Katsmeow]

OP: I have both Amazon Prime and Netflix. FWIW, we end up using Netflix constantly for video and rarely use Amazon Prime. Part of it is that most of the Amazon streamed videos are pay and not free. In that way, Amazon is more like Itunes than Netflix. It does have some free stuff but I find it hard to find videos on Amazon and don't really know if it has things that netflix doesn't have. I just find Netflix easier to use.

With Amazon Prime, your order may be shipped via different (substandard) carriers. Too many lost packages, noisy deliveries at odd hours of the night, and boxes left in the rain for my preferences. It's not possible to sign up for streaming alone, that is, keep normal delivery, which for orders over $25 is free anyhow if you allow a possible few extra days for delivery.

Well, around here Amazon Prime orders are delivered by UPS, I've never had a lost package or had one delivered at odd hours or had boxes left in the rain.... Deliveries are the same way after I got Prime as before.

 

[pb4uski]

....I have a 3 month coupon to Netflix from the Chromecast I bought, but we have not activated it yet. NF definitely has a better selection, but there is lots on prime (and cable) too.

How do you like Chromecast? I have one backordered.